In the past, one conductor from a flat flexible cable (FFC) or first circuit element has been connected to another conductor such as a terminal lead from a florescent lamp or a second circuit element. The FFC conductor was connected to a selected conductor on a printed circuit board via an associated electric connector, and the selected conductor in the printed circuit board was connected to a terminal lead from the fluorescent lamp via another associated electric connector. Thus, one conductor is connected to the other conductor via a selected conductor in an associated printed circuit board, and accordingly since the two associated connectors must be affixed to the printed circuit board an additional amount of space is required for this electric connection.
In an attempt to reduce the use of additional space on the printed circuit board, a single electric connector has been used to make a direct connection between the circuit elements without the connector being affixed to a printed circuit board. French Patent No. 1,480,097 discloses an "S"-shaped electric connector terminal which comprises a flat intermediate base section, a first contact beam integrally connected to and bent from one end of the intermediate base section, and a second contact beam integrally connected to and bent from the other end of the intermediate base section. These first and second beams are biased inwardly so that their contact portions achieve contact with the flat intermediate base section, thereby permitting each contact section and flat intermediate base section to sandwich one of the circuit elements respectively therebetween.
This conventional "S"-shaped electric connector terminal permits two conductors or circuit elements to be electrically connected without the use of two connectors affixed to a printed circuit board. However there are some disadvantages.
The first disadvantage is that two conductors or circuit elements must be inserted into opposite ends of the housing in opposite directions. Therefore, insertion and connection of two conductors or circuit elements in the same direction was not possible.
The second disadvantage is that the first contact beam has its free end inclined upwardly toward one terminal insertion cavity wall and the second contact beam has its free end inclined downwardly toward a second terminal insertion cavity wall. Because the free end of both beams are both bent so that they are directed outwardly toward the terminal insertion cavity walls, the free ends may be caught by the opening in the terminal insertion cavity. Therefore, automatic loading of these terminals in the terminal insertion cavities is not appropriate. Also with the prior art connectors, the terminals were formed with the same type of contact portions as, for example, both contact portions being a generally non-disengagable wire trap or both being a disengagable contact.